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The Commissioners were first appointed under William IV, by a letters patent passed on 6 June 1833. Their task was "to inquire into fees, and establishment of clerks in the Court of Session; the preparation of records in that court; the constitution and jurisdiction of the Sheriff Courts; the law and forms of imprisonment for debt; the expense of criminal proceedings, and the completion and transference of heritable rights".
The commission's first two reports were issued in May 1834 and June 1835. The third report, issued in June 1838, dealt specifically with conveyancing and "the expediency of changing these forms with a view to cheapness and security". It was apparently a matter of "long and anxious deliberation" to the Commissioners, and they delayed the report because they were "deeply impressed" with the "difficulty, magnitude and moment" of their subject matter.
The Commissioners' fourth and final report, which contained "various returns...opinions and suggestions...upon subjects not comprehended in the previous reports", was issued in November 1839. |